1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cabling delivery and management systems in office environments for feeding premise cabling from above ceilings downward to work stations and, more particularly, is concerned with a ceiling feed assembly adaptable to fit raceways having different cross-sectional configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically in commercial environments, premise cabling systems for transmission of voice, data, video and power are distributed throughout the buildings hidden from view above suspended ceilings. Branches or short lengths of such cabling are then routed from above the ceiling downward to individual work stations through elongated ducts called raceways which are provided to enclose the cabling and to maintain the aesthetics of the commercial environment. The raceways are installed to run from ceiling fittings mounted below the ceiling, downward along walls or vertical columns, to the work stations.
Hubbell Premise Wiring, a division of Hubbell Incorporated of Orange, Conn., manufactures and sells components for constructing premise cabling systems for commercial environments. Among these components are three raceways, designated as R1, R2, R3 in FIGS. 1 to 3, having different cross-sectional configurations, namely, different shapes and/or sizes. The raceway R2 has a width W2 substantially greater than the width W1 of the raceway R1 but only slightly greater than the width W3 of the raceway R3. The raceway R2 has a height H2 substantially greater than the height H3 of the raceway R3 but only slightly greater than the height H1 of the raceway R1. The height H1 of the raceway R1 is substantially greater than the height H3 of the raceway R3, while the width W3 of the raceway R3 is substantially greater than the width W1 of the raceway R1. Each of the raceways R1, R2, R3 has a two-piece construction which includes an elongated bottom channel B and an elongated top cover T overlying and removably fitted onto the elongated bottom channel B. The bottom channel B has an U-shaped cross-sectional configuration and the top cover T has an inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The cross-sectional shapes of the raceways R1, R2, R3 differ slightly from one another due primarily to the differing shapes of the complementary interfitting detent elements D1, D2, D3 defined on the opposite longitudinal edge portions of the bottom channel B and top cover T of the raceways R1, R2, R3. These interfitting detent elements D1, D2, D3 provide for removably snap fitting the top cover T onto the bottom channel B of the raceways R1, R2, R3.
Raceways of the different cross-sectional configurations are typically installed to handle different capacity requirements of the premise cabling routed to different work stations. As a result, the ceiling fittings used with the raceways also are provided in different sizes and shapes to accommodate the different raceways. The problem with this accepted practice is that it is costly to manufacture and maintain in inventory the different ceiling fittings to match the different raceways in order to fulfill the different commercial requirements as they arise.
Consequently, a need exists for innovations in the design of ceiling fittings which will overcome the above-described problem without introducing any new problems in place thereof.